Border Crossing Immersions take students beyond their personal contexts to engage vital issues and interact with communities and persons who challenge one's own assumptive world view and meaning making.

If your student fellowship or congregation is doing something you want the Andover Newton Community to know about, submit your information to enews. Mailings go out twice a week during the fall and spring semesters.

Please join us in celebration of our deeply rooted history and our openness to God’s great possibilities for Andover Newton. Our fundraiser Gala starts at 6 p.m. Friday, April 24, at the Four Seasons Boston.

Meet Our Faculty

Martin is a magna cum laude graduate of Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and received his Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School in 1980. He was also a Visiting Scholar at Duke Divinity School during the spring semester of 1990. He is an ordained minister in the United Church of... "Read More"

MT Dávila is a lay woman in the Roman Catholic tradition. She completed her doctorate at Boston College with a dissertation titled “A Liberation Ethic for the One Third World: The Preferential Option for the Poor and Challenges to Middle-Class Christianity in the United States”.

As a pastoral theologian, Brita Gill-Austern has a passion for teaching and creating a community of learning where the care of persons is embodied in a pedagogy that engages head and heart. For many years her academic interests and specializations have centered around: the integration of faith,... "Read More"

Adam completed his doctorate in Homiletics at Princeton Theological Seminary. His dissertation, “Preaching as Sabotage: Power, Practice, and Proclamation” examines the role of oppressive power dynamics in local congregations and how preaching might be shaped as an art of holy subversion.

Jeff Jones began serving at Andover Newton in 2002, as an adjunct faculty member and Coordinator of E-Learning. His duties were expanded in 2005 to include the development of the school’s distance learning program for continuing education for clergy and courses for laity.

Simon S. Lee was born in S. Korea and came to Boston in 1996 to start his theological education. He joined the faculty of Andover Newton in 2008 and also serves a local Korean-American church in Arlington as a junior pastor.

Nancy Nienhuis teaches courses on social justice and intimate partner violence. She holds a doctorate in Religion, Gender, and Culture from Harvard University. She has a particular interest in issues of domestic violence and sexual assault, particularly as those issues are addressed in the training... "Read More"

In her writings, lectures and work as a resource to national and international church bodies, Beth Nordbeck offers insights into the historical roots and precedents of today’s trends in American religion.

Jennifer Howe Peace is Assistant Professor of Interfaith Studies at Andover Newton Theological School in Newton, MA, where she co-directs the Center for Interreligious and Communal Leadership Education (CIRCLE) a joint program between ANTS and the Rabbinical School at Hebrew College.

As Dean of the Faculty & Vice President for Academic Affairs, Sarah B. Drummond’s first priorities are the administrative leadership of the School’s educational programs and the support of the faculty’s teaching, research, and shared governance.

Nimi Wariboko previously taught at New York University and at the Frank G. Zarb School of Business, Hofstra University (New York). His areas of specialization are in economic ethics, critical social theory, Pentecostal studies, and philosophical theology.

Margaret Benefiel, Ph.D., Executive Officer of Executive Soul, LLC, offers consulting, coaching, and spiritual direction for leaders and organizations. In addition to being adjunct faculty at Andover Newton, she is also a visiting lecturer at All Hallows College in... "Read More"

Mark W. Harris was born in Winchendon, Massachusetts in 1951, and grew up in the nearby towns of Orange and New Salem. After graduating from Bates College (Maine) with a B.A. in 1973, he entered graduate school in history at the University of New Hampshire, where he earned an M.A. in 1975. He... "Read More"

The Reverend Dr. Margaret (Meg) B. Hess is a graduate of Andover Newton Theological School, where she received a Master of Divinity degree in 1981 and Doctor of Ministry degree, with honors, in Pastoral Counseling in 1994. She is ordained by the American Baptist Churches, USA, where she served... "Read More"

Julie Faith Parker earned her Ph.D. with distinction in Old Testament/Hebrew Bible at Yale University. Her research interests include children in the Hebrew Bible, feminist interpretation, and ancient Near Eastern languages and cultures.

The Reverend Dr. Andrew Armstrong has been the Senior Minister of Acton Congregational Church since December 2007. He grew up in Johnson City, New York and received his undergraduate degree from Binghamton University. After graduation, Andy earned his Master of Divinity degree from Andover Newton... "Read More"

The Reverend Nathan Detering's training for the ministry included a part-time student ministry at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Milford, Massachusetts from September 1999 to May 2000, a hospital chaplain training program in the summer of 2000, a full-time... "Read More"

The Reverend David Fredrickson is the Rector of Christ Church Parish (Episcopal) in Plymouth, MA. He has served the parish since January 2010. He was formally the Assistant Rector of Trinity Church in Buckingham, PA and the Rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Wareham, MA. He graduated from... "Read More"

Ordained in 1970, Dale served two local churches, both in the Iowa Conference: First Congregational United Church of Christ, Creston, Iowa (’70-’75) and Zion United Church of Christ, Burlington, Iowa (75’-87’). From 1987-1998, Reverend Hempen ministered on the Ohio Conference Staff as the Association... "Read More"

An ecumenical minister with 23 years of experience as a local church pastor, Rev. Maybeck has standing in three denominations American Baptist Churches, United Church of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She is respected and admired as a spiritual storyteller by her storytelling... "Read More"

After a period of recording and performing as a professional musician, The Reverend Burns Stanfield was ordained in 1991 as a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) to pastor the congregation at Fourth Presbyterian, South Boston.

While attending the Unitarian Universalist church of her youth, The Reverend Dr. Susan Suchocki-Brown would often watch the minister and imagine that she could and wanted to do what he was doing. Eventually, she was able to pursue this calling at Andover Newton and make ministry her career and... "Read More"

After teaching church history for 17 years and then pastoral psychology and family studies for 19 years at Andover Newton, Professor Thompson retired from full-time teaching in 2000. An ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, he also trained and practiced as a marriage and family therapist... "Read More"

The Reverend Dr. Legerstee was born in the Netherlands. “Dirkje” was her grandmother’s name and is pronounced “Dirk- YA”! In 1980, she discerned a call to the ministry, and left teaching to attend Andover Newton. She was ordained in 1985 and has served local churches in the MACUCC for twenty five... "Read More"

Parish ministry and teaching in hospitals, prisons and urban settings inform Sharon Thornton’s passion for pastoral theology. She seeks to cultivate a classroom climate open to imagination, courage and critical thinking in order to address pastoral issues emerging in diverse communities of faith... "Read More"

Ellis I. Washington, a native of Detroit, Michigan, is now a pulpit servant of God through Grant African Methodist Episcopal Church Boston, Massachusets. He has been noted as “The Voice” and “The Communicator,” a former Gospel Radio announcer on 1380 WAOK in Atlanta, Georgia. He is also formerly the... "Read More"

A native of Madison, Wisconsin, Dr. Ron Baard is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Madison (B.S., Education, 1977) and Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div., 1982). He earned his M.A. (1993) and Ph.D. in Theology and Personality (with emphasis in pastoral counseling) at Claremont School of... "Read More"

The Reverend Beth Loughhead served at the First Baptist Church in Newton Centre, MA, at Harbor ME (services for battered women) and in the ABCUSA’s Department of Ministry with Youth before joining the staff at First Baptist Church in Beverly in August of 1989. She received her M.Div. from Harvard... "Read More"

Mary Luti’s latest sojourn at Andover Newton began in 2008. She previously taught on the Hill in the departments of Church History and Church and Ministry from 1984-1998, also serving as Director of the Center for the Ministry of the Laity and as Associate Dean for Academic Programs as the school... "Read More"

Kirk Byron Jones formerly served as Kelsey-Owens Professor of Black Ministries and Assistant Professor of Ethics at Andover Newton for several years. A pastor for twenty years, Rev. Jones was the founding minister of Beacon Light Baptist Church in New Orleans, and Senior Minister at Calvary Baptist... "Read More"

The Reverend Paul Robeson Ford was born and raised in New York City, and grew up at the Riverside Church under the leadership of Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr. He answered the call to ministry in 1997 and was licensed to preach the Gospel at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Des Moines, Iowa in 2002. He... "Read More"

For 25 years Helen has worked with writers (mostly students) as an editor and writing coach. Before coming to Andover Newton in October of 2005, she developed and ran a small writing center for students at HGSE.

Rev. Dr. Thandeka was given the !Xhosa name Thandeka, which means “beloved,” by Archbishop Desmond Tutu in 1984. She holds a Ph.D. in philosophy of religion and theology from Claremont Graduate University, and is an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister and congregational consultant, an Emmy award... "Read More"

Rabbi Beth Naditch attended Brandeis as an undergraduate, and was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1999. She concurrently earned a Masters Degree in Jewish Education from that institution.

Beth served on the faculty of the New York Board of Jewish Education’s Academy for Jewish... "Read More"

The Reverend Felix Carrion is presently serving as the Interim Minister at Hough’s Neck Congregational Church in Quincy, MA. He is also serving as a consultant, preacher and keynoter. Rev. Carrion brings to his work a commitment to the empowerment of clergy and lay for effective ministry and witness... "Read More"

The Reverend Dr. Bruce P. MacLeod graduated from Marietta College, Marietta, Ohio with a BA in Psychology and a provisional secondary teaching certificate. He taught reading and study skills for 2 years before attending seminary.

He earned Master of Divinity (1983) and Doctor of Ministry (... "Read More"

After serving as a settled pastor for seven years in Waitsfield, VT, the Reverend Dr. Jonathan New served as an interim for several of the larger churches in the VT Conference. For five years he served on the New England Stewardship Team (UCC) Steering Committee.

Dr. Shellberg was the Assistant Professor of New Testament Studies at Bangor Theological Seminary from 2009 until its closure in 2013 and has most recently been the scholar-in-residence at The BTS Center, mission successor to Bangor Theological Seminary, developing educational programs to equip and... "Read More"

Professor Tamilio teaches philosophy and literature at Salem State University and religion and ethics at Endicott College. He brings his doctoral research in worship and sacramental theology to Andover Newton Theological School.